February 23, 2026
St. Scholastica awarded grant to address food insecurity on campus
The College of St. Scholastica is reaffirming its commitment to student well-being after being named one of only nine schools to receive the Hunger Free Campus grant from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.
The grant awards St. Scholastica $17,600 over a two-year period, providing vital funding for Storm’s Cupboard – the College’s on-campus food pantry – and broadening outreach efforts to ensure no student has to choose between their education and their next meal.
“Food insecurity impacts a wide range of students. We just want to meet their basic needs,” Campus Minister Sammi Good Nelson ‘19 told the Duluth News Tribune (DNT). “It takes a lot to keep a pantry running, and we really appreciate the help we get.”
Storm’s Cupboard has already seen over 210 requests during the 2025-26 school year, an increase of nearly 10 students per month compared to last year. To meet this need, the College has developed a robust support system, including a pop-up pantry at the Health Science Center, grocery gift cards for off-campus students, and a “Swipe Out Hunger” program for campus dining.
A growing mission of support
For Nelson, who once volunteered at the pantry as a student, the program’s growth is a testament to St. Scholastica’s mission. “Back then, it was literally a closet that we put some food on a shelf in, and it’s come such a long way,” Nelson said to DNT. “We expanded outreach to a lot more students that we support now.”
The grant also enables staff to assist students with SNAP applications and host hunger awareness events to educate the broader campus community. “Having that awareness is really important. Food insecurity reaches more students’ lives than the average person would recognize,” Nelson continued. “We have some students who are single parents. We have some students who don’t have family support while they’re going through school. We have some students that come from low-income families and they’re on their own here. So I think a lot of faculty and staff aren’t always aware – and even fellow students aren’t always aware – of the struggles students might be going through.”
While this funding provides a vital foundation, Storm’s Cupboard remains supported by the generosity of the St. Scholastica community, which recently donated over 700 items during a food drive.
“We created this program to meet students’ needs,” Nelson said. “It started small and humble, and it’s grown into something that the campus really relies on. Community is one of our values as a college, and this is one of the ways we support and build that community here.”
